Chapter 49: One Shouldn’t Forget Their Roots
A sudden, fierce spark ignited in Yerin’s eyes. The lingering guilt and sadness on her face completely evaporated, replaced by a radiant, unstoppable grin.
"Sarah! Change of plans!" Yerin practically shouted into the phone, her voice booming with explosive energy. "I’m hosting a farewell concert."
"A... what?!"Sarah squeaked from the speaker. "Yerin, you just said you don’t have time for a tour!"
"Not a tour! One single, massive, legendary farewell concert right here in the Capital!" Yerin declared, clenching her fist enthusiastically.
I leaned in closer to her phone, adding my own suggestion with a smile. "Make it completely free to stream worldwide, Yerin. Set up giant public screens across major cities, and make it a massive, open farewell celebration for every single fan on the planet. A proper goodbye before your hiatus."
"Wait... a worldwide, free-streamed mega farewell concert?!"Sarah gasped through the phone, the gears in her managerial brain instantly turning. "Yerin... that’s... that’s brilliant! The media coverage would be unprecedented! It would completely turn the tour cancellation backlash into the biggest global event of the year!"
"Exactly!" Yerin cheered, her dark eyes shining with absolute excitement. "Work with the Rothschild media teams, Sarah! Get the biggest open-air arena in the Capital booked for this weekend! Stream it live to every platform for free! I want EVERYONE to watch!"
"I’m on it right now!" Sarah shouted, her voice buzzing with adrenaline. "I’ll have the announcement draft ready in two hours! Bye, Yerin!"
*CLICK*
The call disconnected, leaving a sudden, quiet silence in the dining hall.
Yerin stared at her phone screen for two seconds, then slowly looked up at me. Before I could even say a word, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and planting a deep, passionate kiss right on my lips.
"YOU ARE THE BEST BOYFRIEND IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!" Yerin squealed as she pulled back, her face beaming with pure joy.
Without waiting for my response, she jumped to her feet, spun around, and practically sprinted out of the dining room toward her suite. "I HAVE TO GO PLAN MY SETLIST AND OUTFITS RIGHT NOW! SEE YOU LATER, HANDSOME!"
I sat alone at the long dining table, staring at the open double doors where she had just vanished.
I reached up, touching my lips where her warmth still lingered, before shaking my head with a helpless, amused smile.
"Silly girl..." I muttered softly to myself, leaning back in my chair. "Running off and kissing me right out in the open like that... what if my parents had walked back in?"
[Hehe~ Well, Host,] Paige’s playful voice chimed in my head, practically oozing with satisfaction. [Looks like your life is about to get a whole lot louder now.]
I looked out the grand arched windows of the dining hall at the peaceful evening sky, a genuine, excited grin spreading across my face. ’Yeah... and I can’t wait.’
...
Walking back into my massive master suite, I closed the door behind me and sank onto the edge of the soft plush bed.
I pulled my smartphone out of my pocket, staring down at the glowing screen. For a few seconds, my thumb hovered over the social media icons on my home display. To be completely honest, I hadn’t opened a single messaging app or checked my old accounts since the day my life completely flipped upside down.
Part of it was just how insanely fast everything had moved, from getting adopted by the billionaire Fernando family to making out with a global pop star and awakening an infinite cosmic soul. But deep down, if I was being real with myself... I was afraid.
I had been running away from my old life. A quiet, subconscious fear had been lingering in the back of my mind that if I looked back at my old life, checked my old texts, or remembered my old reality, this whole luxurious, wonderful dream would suddenly shatter, dragging me right back into a cold, lonely apartment.
’I don’t need to run away anymore,’ I thought, letting out a long, quiet breath as I tapped on the app icon.
Talking to Yerin at dinner had made me realize something important. My past wasn’t something needed to erase or pretend never happened. Those grueling years of working late shifts, struggling as an orphan, and surviving on cheap convenience store meals had shaped who I was today. It gave me my perspective, my gratitude, and my grounded nature.
The app opened, and a flood of unread notifications and messages instantly loaded onto the screen.
I scrolled through the list. I had never been the loud, super-popular guy with hundreds of close friends, but even at the lowest rungs of society, people naturally grouped together. I had a few acquaintances from my old shifts, fellow kitchen workers, and guys from my old apartment complex I used to grab cheap street food with after late nights.
Unsurprisingly, almost all of them had sent messages over the past few days, their texts filled with genuine worry and confusion:
"Yo, Seth! You alive, man? You didn’t show up for your shift?"
"Seth, what the hell happened at the restaurant?! Miller got arrested by federal agents?"
"Bro, the whole place got shut down! A bunch of guys in black sedans sealed everything off! Are you okay?"
"Call us when you see this, man! We were worried Miller did something to you!"
Reading their messages, a warm, genuine feeling bloomed in my chest. Miller, my arrogant, abusive old boss, was facing serious prison time after Mom and Dad wiped out his entire business, but these guys had actually been worried about my safety.
I sat back against the headboard, taking my time to reply to every single one of them individually, even if it took a while. We might belong to completely different worlds now, and our paths might rarely cross in the future, but these were the people who had stood alongside me when I had absolutely nothing. I wasn’t going to just ghost them or pretend they didn’t exist.
I typed out quick, reassuring replies to each of them:
"Hey man, sorry for the ghosting! I’m completely safe. Turns out my biological parents found me, and I moved in with them. Everything’s good on my end. I’ll treat you guys to a huge dinner sometime soon when I’m back in town!"
Two of them replied almost instantly:
"HOLY SHIT BRO! YOU FOUND YOUR PARENTS!?"
"Damn, Seth! So that’s why Miller’s life got ruined in five minutes flat? Your long-lost parents must be loaded! Congrats, man! You deserve it!"
"Don’t forget us when you’re rich, bro! We’re holding you to that dinner!"
I chuckled softly, typing back a quick joking response before navigating to my main social media story. I uploaded a simple text post so everyone who followed me could see it:
"To everyone asking-I’m completely safe and healthy! Found my biological family and I’m staying with them now. Thanks to everyone who checked up on me!"
I kept it vague, intentionally leaving out the Fernando name or any mention of my family’s absurd wealth. I wanted to reassure the people who cared about me without scaring them off with global billionaire politics.
*Click. Click. Click.*
The distinct, rhythmic sound of high heels clicking against the hard marble floor near my wardrobe instantly pulled me out of my thoughts.
I set my phone down on the bed and turned my head toward the corner of the room.
The wardrobe’s secret wall panel had slid open quietly, and standing right in the center of the room was Yerin, looking so insanely, breathtakingly stunning that my brain completely short-circuited mid-thought.
She was wearing a crisp white formal blouse, the top two buttons left tantalizingly unbuttoned to reveal a peek of her fair collarbones and cleavage.
The blouse was neatly tucked into an ultra-tight, high-waisted black pencil skirt that hugged every single curve of her waist, hips, and rounded rear with lethal precision. Beneath the slit of her skirt, her long, flawless legs were clad in sheer black stockings that stretched all the way up her thighs.
To complete the look, her long, dark wavy hair was styled into a neat, high ponytail, and a pair of sleek, stylish glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. She had applied subtle makeup, a touch of eyeliner that sharpened her dark eyes and a glossy crimson tint on her plush, parted lips.
She looked like the absolute definition of a high-fashion, elite corporate secretary straight out of a luxury magazine.
Yerin stood there, holding a leather-bound clipboard against her chest, her lips curving into a slow, dangerously playful smirk behind her glasses as she locked her gaze onto mine.
"Good evening, Executive Seth," Yerin purred, her voice dropping into a smooth, professional, yet utterly seductive tone as she took a slow, deliberate step forward, her high heels clicking loudly against the floor. "Your personal secretary is reporting for her private dictation session."
I sat on the edge of the bed, my throat going completely dry as I stared at her.
’Jesus Christ...’ I thought, my heart thumping against my ribs. ’She actually went all out.’